Internal combustion engine



Nov. 24, 1936. v OPOLO 2,062,013

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Filed June 29, 1932 MEL 5Z7 r'Lss L7 UZ/U.

MLMW Patented Nov. 24, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE Charles Opolo, Culver City, Calif. Application June 29, 1932, Serial No. 619,905

5 Claims.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines and has for an object the provision of a novel design of combustion and compression hamber for engines of this general class. A more detailed object in this connection is to provide an improved type of combustion chamber communicating with the cylinder through a relatively restricted orifi'ce so that the pressure generated within the combustion chamber when the fuel is ignited will be imposed upon the piston relatively slowly, building up upon the piston gradually until maximum pressure upon the piston is attained. This relieves the piston and its associated engine parts of the shock of detonation.

Another object is to provide means for alter ing the compression ratio of the engine, this portion of the device being capable of being actuated while the engine is in operation.

The invention possesses other objects and advantageous features, some of which, with those enumerated, will be set "forth in the followin description of the inventions particular embodiment which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming a part of the specification. Referringto the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through a cylinder of an engine embodying the principles of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken upon the line 22 of- Fig. 1, with the direction of view as indicated. 'A portion of this figure is broken away to reduce its size.

The present invention seeks to provide an internal combustion engine of such design that higher efllciency of operation and smoother running is obtained. This is accomplished by providing means for overcoming the shock of the detonation which takes place as a result of the substantially instantaneous combustion of the explosive gases fed to the combustion chamber.

It is desirable that combustion in the engine cylinder commence while the crank arm is at or even slightly in advance of top dead center, the I result being that in the conventional internal combustion engine the greatest force is exerted against the 'topof the piston when the associated crank arm is in the least advantageous position to transmit the energy exerted in a linear direction against the piston into rotary motion of the crank shaft. This invention overcomes this disadvantage of the conventional type of "engine by providing means for cushioning the impact,

this being accomplished by requiring the gaseous products of combustion to fiow into the cylinder far enough beyond top dead center to be in a more advantageous position tortransmit energy from the connecting rod to the crank shaft. Toward this same end resilient means are interposed within the connecting rod,,and in addition means are provided for varying the compression ratio of the engine during the operation thereof.

Specifically describing a prefered embodiment of my invention, an internal combustion engine cylinder is indicated at 6; this cylinder has a piston I reciprocable therein which is' connected by a connecting rod 8 to the crank pin 9 carried by a crank arm I2 of the crank shaft' (not shown). The upper end of the cylinder 8 is closed by a head l3, and preferably both the cylinder 6 and .the head l3 are provided with water jackets' l4 and I6, respectively.

A combustion chamber i1 is .provided within inder 6, and the parts are so proportioned that when the piston I is at its upper extreme of motion its upper end 22 is disposed closely adjacent the under surface 2| of the partition Hi. This results in permitting the gases rushing throughthe orifice It! to act against only a relatively small area upon the top 22 of the piston 1 while v the piston is at the upper extremeof its mo-i tion, thereby minimizing the force exerted by against the crank pin 9 when the crank arm I2 the piston 1 and through the connecting rod 8 is at top dead center. However, as soon as the crank arm l2 moves beyond top dead center the piston 1 moves away from the partition 2|, whereupon gases rushing through the orifice I 9 will be permitted to act upon the entire area of the top 22 of the piston I, thus increasing the total force exerted by the gases at'a given pressure against the piston. 1

Owing to the restricted nature of the orifice l9, gases rushing from the combustion chamber l1 into the cylinder 6 will be impeded so that even after the piston I has moved away from the partition 2| pressure will be permitted to build up against the piston gradually, the result bustion through the orifice I9 I prefer that the combustion chamber H be of substantially inverted conical configuration, hence the upper surface 26 of the partition I8 is dished slightly, the central portion having the orifice |9 being slightly lower than the peripheral edge of the upper surface 26 of thepartition. The under surface 21 of the top 28 of the combustion chamber I1 is similarly formed and preferably is provided with a plurality of spiral beads 29 which serve to guide gases moving toward the orifice I 9 in spiral paths. These beads 29 serve to impart turbulence not only to the gaseous products of combustion but also to the carbureted fuel before combustion, thereby tending to provide a more nearly homogeneous mixture of vaporized fuel and air, with a consequent increase in the rapidity and completeness of combustion when ignition takes place.

Fuel is supplied to the combustion chamber |1 through an inlet passage 3| which communicates through an inlet port 32 with a passageway 33 which leads laterally from above the port 32 into the combustion chamber H. The port 32 is controlled by an inlet valve 34 of suitable design. Fuel mixture thus supplied to the combustion chamber I1 is ignited at the proper time during the cycle of the engine by means of a spark plug 36, the points 31 of which are disposed within the combustion chamber and preferably irnmediatelyabove. the orifice IS.

The exhaust-valve is positioned and operates parallel to the inlet valve 34 and has an outlet passage separated from and parallel to the inlet passage 3|. These elements are directly in line with the inlet valve 34 and inlet passage 3| illustrated in Fig. 1 and hence do not show on such figure. The passage 33 thus communicates both with the inlet and exhaust valves and the inlet and exhaust passages.

Means are provided for altering the compression ratio of the cylinder. For this purpose an auxiliary compression chamber 4| is formed in the head l3 and communicates by a port 42 with the combustion chamber 1, the port 42 preferably being disposed immediately above the inlet port 32. A valve seat 43 encircles the port 42 and has associated therewith a double faced valve 44, the stem 46 of which extends through a hole '41 in a removable valve guide 48. A second valve seat 49'is concentric with the hole 41 in the valve guide 48 and the valve 44 is so arranged that when it is in lowermost position, as illustrated on Fig. 1, its lower face 5| is adapted to engage the valve seat 43 to close the port 42, whereas in its upper position the upper face 52 of the valve 44 is adapted to engage the seat 49 and prevent the escape of gases through the hole 41 within which the stem 46 is slidable.

The upper end of the stem 46 extends far enough beyond the guide 48 to receive a pair of compression springs 56 and 51. 'The lower spring 56 is under compression between a washer 56, which is slidable upon the stem 46, and a second washer 59, which is secured to the stem 46 as by a pin 6|, the upper spring 51 being similarly confined between a slidable washer 62 and a fixed washer 63. The bifurcated end 64 of a lever is engaged between the two slidable washers 56 and 62. This lever is pivotally mounted, as by a bracket 61 rigid with the head," I3, and its other end 68 is provided with a segment gear 69 engaged by a vertically disposed worm gear 1|. This worm gear is journalled in a suitable bracket 12 and is adapted to be rotated, preferably manually, as by means of a shaft 13, so as to raise or lower the end 66 of the lever 66 and thus swing it on the axis of its pivotal mounting. In this manner the washers 56 and 62 may be raised or lowered, this motion being imparted through the springs 56 and 21 to the valve stem 46, so as to move the valve 44 op-' tionally onto the seat 43 or the seat 49. When the valve 44 is in elevated position the auxiliary chamber 4| is in communication through the port 42 with the combustion chamber I1. Preferably the valve is maintained in this position when the engine is operating slowly under load, or when idling. However, when the engine is operating at higher speeds the valve 44 should be lowered to the seat 43, thereby disconnecting the auxiliary chamber 4| from the combustion chamber I1 and requiring that the gases compressed within the cylinder 6 and the combustion chamber H be confined to a smaller space and thereby increasing the compression ratio of the cylinder. However, in the event of detonation, the sudden great increase in pressure will cause the valve 44 to 'be lifted slightly from the seat 43, this being permitted because of the resilient interconnection between the stem 46 and the shifting lever 66. This feature serves to relieve the pressure of detonation after which the valve 44 will be returned to its seat 43 by the spring 51.

It is to be understood that the details of the invention as herein disclosed are subject to alteration within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder with aclosed head, said head having a combustion chamber defined by lower and upper, conical shaped walls adjacent to and remote from the closed 'end of the cylinder respectively and spaced apart the height of the combustion chamber, the closed head being provided with an orifice axially centered as to the cylinder and in the apex of the combustion chamber whereby exploded fuel may have a direct conical flow in the combustion chamber and through the orifice to the cylinder.

2. man internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a closed head, said head having a combustion chamber with an under and an upper surface forming cones with their apices towards the cylinder and thus defining a conical combustion chamber, a partition having a central orifice in the axial center of the cylinder terminating the under surface, the said under and upper surfaces adapted to develop a flow of exploded fuel following the path of the cone and discharging at the apex through the orifice into the cylinder.

3. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a, cylinder head having a partition at 'right angles to theaxis of the cylinder, said der head having a partition with a central orifice the under surface, and a spark plug in the head extending through the upper surface, and in axial alignment with the said orifice.

4. In an internal combustion engine having a cylinder, means forming a combustion chamber and an auxiliary compression chamber with a first valve seat between the said chambers, there being a passageway connecting the said chambers, a valve guide having a hole and having a second seat surrounding said hole, a valve having a stem slidable in the said hole, the valve being adapted to engage either'of said seats, and means for moving the valve to exert a resilient closin pressure between the valve and both of the seats.

5. In an internal combustion engine, a cylintherein and a wall member spaced apart from the said partition and forming a combustion chamber therewith, means forming a passageway communicating at one side of the chamber, a structure forming an auxiliary compression chamber having a first valve seat, a valve in the auxiliary "compression chamber having a stem and forming a closure at the valve seat to the passageway, the head having a hole with the stem slidable therethrough, and means for reciprocating said stem including a resilient pressure means for-closing the valve against the first seat by a resilient pressure.

- CHARLES OPOLO. 

